UKULELE MASTER JAKE SHIMABUKURO’S LIVE IN JAPAN RELEASED TODAY ON ENTERTAINMENT ONE

The two-CD set was recorded live in Japan during his sold-out 2015 World Tour

Rolling Stone said, “One of the hottest axemen of the past few years doesn’t actually play guitar.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 26, 2016) – Hawaii native Jake Shimabukuro released today his “best of” live collection Live In Japan, his second release on Hitchhike Records/eOne. The album is available for purchase at various retail outlets, as well as on Amazon, iTunes and the website. The two-CD collection features some of Shimabukuro’s favorite songs from his 15-year career including a 10-minute classic reworking of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which currently has over 14 million views on YouTube. For more information, please visit his website here.

Recorded in Japan during his 2015 world tour, the collection begins with a nine-minute medley including the War classic “Low Rider,” and performances of “Dragon,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Blue Roses Falling,” to name a few. The band set also includes several original selections from his most recent studio album, Travels, which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top World Album Chart in 2015.

2016 is shaping up to be Shimabukuro’s biggest of his career. Beyond the live release, his first in seven years, he is working on a new studio album to be released later this year and will be touring across the United States and around the world.

Recorded live in Japan during his sold-out 2015 World Tour“JAKE IS TAKING THE INSTRUMENT TO A PLACE I CAN’T SEE ANYBODY ELSE CATCHING UP WITH!” EDDIE VEDDER

Hawaii native Jake Shimabukuro is set to release his “best of” live collection Live In Japan, his second release on Hitchhike Records/eOne, Friday, February 26, 2016. Pre-orders are available today on Amazon, iTunes and the website. The 2 CD collection features some of Shimabukuro’s favorite songs from his 15-year career including a 10-minute classic reworking of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which currently has over 14 million views on YouTube.

The collection of uniquely crafted tunes was recorded during his fall 2015 dates in Japan on his 2015 world tour which begins with a 9-minute medley including the War classic “Low Rider,” and performances of “Dragon, “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and “Blue Roses Falling,” to name a few. The band set also includes several original selections from his most recent studio album, Travels, which debuted at #2 on Billboard’s Top World Album Chart in 2015.

2016 is shaping up to be Shimabukuro’s biggest of his career. Beyond the live release, his first in seven years, he will be working on a collaborative new studio album as well as launching a tour starting on January 23rd in Napa, California, that will take him across the United States and around the world.

UKULELE VIRTUOSO JAKE SHIMABUKURO’S NEW ALBUM TRAVELS REACHES #2 ON WORLD CHARTTRAVELS RECEIVES GLOWING REVIEWS FROM CRITICS AND AUDIENCES AS JAKE CONTINUES HIS U.S. TOUR

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 21, 2015) – Travels, the latest album from ukulele sensation Jake Shimabukuro, climbed to #2 on the world chart shortly after its October 9 release on eOne Music. Jake continues to tour, performing sold-out shows at venues across the country.

Jake’s undeniable artistry and musicianship is confirmed by numerous positive reviews for Travels by media and audiences alike.

“Shimabukuro’s new album, Travels, showcases why many consider him the finest ukulele player of his generation.” Singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman

“He has been playing the ukulele since he was 4 years…but after watching him Sunday night at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, I would say he started in another life, honed his skills there and then dragged them into this incarnation. He's that good, scary good.” Twin Cities Pioneer Press

“Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up with.” Eddie Vedder

About Jake Shimabukuro:
He has elevated the ukulele from a beloved Hawaiian folk instrument to a world-class vehicle, fearlessly traversing boundaries and putting his inspired touch on everything from island standards, to popular tunes and, most recently, classical symphonic concertos.

No wonder Rolling Stone called him “one of the hottest axemen of the past few years (who) doesn’t actually play guitar.”
Even Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has voiced his admiration saying, “Jake is taking the instrument to a place that I can’t see anybody else catching up with.”

Viewed by his peers as a musician’s musician, Jake’s discography includes collaborations with a wide range of artists, from Yo-Yo Ma, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson and Cyndi Lauper to Ziggy Marley, Dave Koz, Lyle Lovett and Bette Midler – with whom he performed for the Queen of England in 2009.

In recent years, Jake’s sizzling live performances have made him a hot commodity on national TV, guesting on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Good Morning America and the Today show. He’s wowed audiences at SXSW, Bonnaroo, the Playboy Jazz Festival and the cutting-edge TED conference.

In 2012, he was the subject of an acclaimed documentary, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings.

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra (HSO) will close its 2014-2015 Halekulani Masterworks season in June with a world premiere performance featuring ‘ukulele superstar Jake Shimabukuro.The concert, entitled “Season Finale with JoAnn & Jake,” will take place Saturday, June 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 at 4 p.m. HSO Artistic Advisor JoAnn Falletta will return to lead the orchestra in this exciting program, which begins with the three-part Concerto for ‘Ukulele and Orchestra, Campanella – a world premiere composed by Dr. Byron Yasui. The piece was commissioned by the HSO with support from the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA). Dr. Yasui, professor emeritus at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, wrote the concerto specifically with his former student Shimabukuro in mind, giving it the nickname “Concerto for Jake.”

Shimabukuro is already scheduled to perform the concerto this fall with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic.

The second half of the program will feature Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.1, Titan. Composed in 1888, the four-movement piece was inspired by Jean-Paul Richter's novel Titan, a personal favorite of Mahler's. However, in 1896, he told a friend that his First Symphony had been inspired by "a passionate love." Mahler wrote the piece for a large orchestra of nearly 100 members, including seven French horns, four trumpets and eight timpani.

Both programs will be performed at the Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall. Ticket-holders are invited to attend Concert Conversations with the guest artists beginning one hour before the performance in the concert hall. Concert Conversations include a question and answer style interview with HSO concertmaster Iggy Jang, followed by questions from the audience.

Tickets start at $32 and are available at hisymphony.org and ticketmaster.com or by calling 94MUSIC. A special $125 VIP package is available for Saturday night only through the HSO website and box office, which includes a pre-concert party at the Honolulu Club, premium seating and free parking. With a valid ID, $13 student tickets and $20 military tickets are available beginning Monday, June 1. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the HSO Box Office, 3610 Waialae Avenue, or the Blaisdell Box Office, 777 Ward Avenue.

Season Finale with JoAnn & Jake is sponsored by Bank of Hawaii, with guest artist sponsor the John Young Foundation.

About the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra The Hawaii Symphony Orchestra was founded in 2011 and made its debut in 2012. The new HSO carries on the legacy of the Honolulu Symphony, which was founded in 1900 and performed for more than a century. The orchestra employs 84 professional musicians and presents classical masterworks, pops, educational and community programs. The mission of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra is to present the highest-quality performances of great music, bringing national and international distinction to the orchestra and its community; to delight and educate audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and enhance the cultural vitality and quality of life in these Islands; and to operate in a financially sound manner.